How Yussel Caught the Gefilte Fish - Hardcover

Herman, Charlotte; Krenina, Katya

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525454497 ISBN 13: 9780525454496

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers, 1999

Synopsis

The quiet joy of the Sabbath combines with the fun of a father-son outing in this story of Yussel, who is finally old enough to take his first trip with Papa to catch the weekly gefilte fish.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Herman's story of a family's traditional celebration of the Jewish Sabbath suffers from an insubstantial plot. On Yussel's first fishing trip with his Papa he catches three big fish. Although none of the creatures looks like the round fish balls that his Mama makes every Shabbat, the two take them home. Yussel helps Mama prepare the meal, but is unable to understand what makes a gefilte fish. He goes to the synagogue, then shares the Sabbath meal with his extended family. Finally the boy understands that the peace evident in the family's celebration is the "special spice" that transforms a fish into a gefilte fish. The family in Krenina's attractive illustrations is dressed in the style of Eastern-European Jews of the late 19th century. Painted on backgrounds of pale green and shades of beige and brown, their round, stylized faces are reminiscent of paintings from the 1930s and '40s. While the story is well written and nicely illustrated, it seems improbable that a child who watches his mother cook the same meal each week wouldn't know that "gefilte fish" is the name of a cooked dish rather than a kind of fish. And Shabbat peace is a pretty heady ingredient (albeit a magical one) for a plate of fish balls. A marginal purchase.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0525454497
• ISBN 13: 9780525454496
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32